Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has clarified rules on the sale of 5 kg LPG cylinders after consumer backlash over an initial restriction, ensuring access for students and migrant workers.
Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department eased the restriction, stating that migrant workers and students can purchase 5 kg cylinders by showing valid identification. Consumers who have completed e-KYC remain eligible to procure cylinders through oil marketing companies.
Notably, Supplies Minister Krushna Chandra Patra had earlier said that open-market sales of liquefied petroleum gas, including 5 kg cylinders, would be stopped to prevent hoarding and black marketing. Refills were to be limited to e-KYC-verified customers with registered connections. The decision, aimed at rationing supplies disrupted by conflicts in the Middle East, triggered widespread dissatisfaction among vulnerable groups reliant on smaller, affordable cylinders. However, later, the government eased the restriction.
PNN
